93% of women wash their hands vs. 77% of men

Maybe all those public service announcements about the bird flu helped. An observational study done last month found that 85% of adults washed their hands in public restrooms, the highest number since the studies began in 1996.

But it's a far cry from the 96% of adults who say they always wash their hands in public restrooms…

Survey: Men wash hands less than women

Next time a gentleman offers his hand, keep this in mind: One-third of men don't wash their hands after using the restroom. Not only that, if he tells you he washed his hands, he may not be telling the truth.

This is revealed in results of the latest Hand Washing Survey, released Monday at a scientific meeting in Chicago by the American Society for Microbiology…

Bacterial Hand Contamination and Transfer after Use of Contaminated Bulk-Soap-Refillable Dispensers

Bulk-soap-refillable dispensers are prone to extrinsic bacterial contamination, and recent studies demonstrated that approximately one in four dispensers in public restrooms are contaminated. The purpose of this study was to quantify bacterial hand contamination and transfer after use of…

92% of People Say They Wash Their Hands, But How Many Are Telling The Truth?

The US Centers for Disease Control says proper and frequent handwashing is “the single most important means of preventing the spread of infection.” But, researchers in a study for the American Society for Microbiology found when it comes to public restrooms, only 77% of people wash their hands after using the restroom…

Top 3 Reasons Why People Don't Wash Their Hands After Using Public Restrooms

Look into any study regarding hand washing and you'll find a plethora of information regarding the transfer of germs, growth of bacteria, and how all of that relates to sickness and disease. For instance, the CDC recommends that people using public restrooms wash their hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds before rinsing…

How to Get Doctors to Wash Their Hands, Visual Edition

In our latest podcast “What Do Hand-Washing and Financial Illiteracy Have in Common?,” we revisited a topic we wrote about a few years back: how one hospital (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles) has tried to increase the rate of hand hygiene among its doctors. In the podcast, chief medical officer Michael Langberg regretfully reported that his doctors…

How many people wash their hands?

Q: Why Should people wash their hands?

A: Hand washing prevents infection and illnesses. Hand washing prevents spreading illness from family member to family member and even into the community. Hands should be washed after sneezing, coughing and going to the bathroom to prevent the spreading of germs. This habit is an immediate means of hygiene and disease prevention…